Improvement in baling-fresses



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Letters Paten-t No.'94,110, datedAugzist 24, 1869.1

IMPROVEMENT IN' BALING-PRESSES.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making of the same.

/o all whom it may carretera:v

Be it known that I, PHILIP HIGDON, of Lewisport, in 'the county of Hancock, and State of Kentucky, have invented a new and useful Percussion Baling- Apparatns, for hay, cotton, Sto.; and I do hereby declare.

that the following is a .sufficiently full, clear, and exact description thereof, to enable any one skilledv in the art towhich my invention appertains, to make and use it, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

My apparatus is provided with a press-box, which v may be constructed in any conunon or suitable man` ner.

lhe follower, by which the compression of the hay,

cotton, or other material,'s performed, may be constructed like the follower of a press.

But my apparatus differs from a common press, in that the compression of the material is effected by percussion from the follower itself, which, for this purpose, is made quite heavy, and, in' operation, is repeatedly raised to such a height that, in falling, it will so crush and pack the hay, cotton, or other material, as in a great measure to destroy or overcome its resilience.

1n operation, the press-box is first filled with loose hay or cotton, and then closed. The follower is then allowed to fall, crushing the material into small compass within the box. The follower is then raised,land as it approaches its highest position, au additional quantity of material is introduced, when the follower falls again; and this operation is repeated until a sufcient quantity of material has been introduced to form a bale, by .which time the whole material will, by the successive strokes of the follower, be crushed and compressed more permanently and eifectually, and with much less labor, than with screw or lever-presses Aof common construction.

In the drawings- Figure l is a perspective view of my improved apparatus.

Figur'e 2 represents a vertical section of .the same, in the plane indicated by the line x fr, figs. 3 and.4.

:'Bigure 3 represents a horizontal section, at y y, fig. 2.

Figure 4 represents a horizontal section, at s z, iig. 2.

Like lettels of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

'Ihe press-box may be constructed with a permanent end, A, a yielding end, B, and two doors,- `C G.

The doors are hinged at cc, and secured at their free ends by catches D D, which are hinged to the end B of the box,

i -While the bale Vis being formed, the `free end B is held up to its work by a hinged lbar, E, secured atits upper end by -a catch, e. Y

The follower F is attached to, or forms the lower part of a gate, G, which works in Vertical guide=ways H H, vand is furnished with a rack, g, for the purpose ofelevating the follower, by means of a pinion, I, the shaft 'J ot' which is mounted at its inner end (near which the pinion is placed) in a slide, K, which is furnished with a spring-catch, L, for the purpose of holding thev pinion I in gear with the rack g when the follower -is to be raised.

When the catch L' is released,a spring, M, holds the pinion out of gear with the rack.

The pinion-shaft may be rotated by arms, or by a hand-wheel, N,'or by an endless cord, or any other suitable means.

A pawl, l?, engaging in a ratchet-wheel, R, prevents the shaft J turning backward, and thus supports the follower at any height until the latter reaches the upper extremity of its stroke, when' it strikes a projection, f, upon the catch L, so as to elevate the said catchfaud permit the projecting and toothless part g of the ,rack to throw'the pinion I out of gear. The follower then descends instantaneously, and with great force, on the material within the box.-

S S represent the upper doors, which are opened to receive the hay or other material to be pressed.

They are supported, when open, upon brackets T, and may be held shut by rods U, resting upon said brackets.

In operation, the follower is first raised nearly to its highest point, and there Vallowed to rest, while the press-box is compltelylled with loose hay or other material. f

`The doors S are then closed, andthe follower is run up untilV the tripping-mechanism releases the rack g from the pinion I, 'when the follower descends with violence upon the hay, and crushes and compresses it within/thc box.

The follower is thenv raised again, by drawing the pinion into gear with the rack, by means of a cord, k, a further quantity of hay is introduced, and the fol-V lower again allowed todescend. v

This operation is repeated until a suicient quantity of hay or other material has been introduced to form a bale, that first placed in tlie box receivingA the effect of all the successive blows which are made.

A smaller quantity of hay is introduced after each successive stroke, and by the timethe bale is completed, the whole body becomes very compact and solid.

When the bale is to be hooped and removed, the unhitching'of the catch ve releases .the yielding end B of the box, and the doors CIG are thrown openv for hooping the bale, while the follower still rests upon it; or the parts may bearranged so that the4 doors C O can be opened for hooping before the yielding' end B of the box releases the bale.. i

erable height above the oor, as is the oase with many presses in use.

Having thus described my invention,

What I claim asnew, and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is-

1. In the described combination with a press-box, A B C C, elevatiugr-mechanism g I J, and a `suitable trippingdevice, the percussion -follower F G, constructed and arranged to operate as herein represented and described, for the purpose set forth.

2. The tripping-mechanism K L f, operating, in combination with the follower F, pinion 1, and rack g, substantially as described.

P. HIGDON.

Ilfitnesses:

JOHN GRInNELL, W. B. DEMING. 

